India's infections set new pandemic records in April, with more than 300 000 positive tests each day for a week. Kamala Thiagarajan looks at the many unanswered questions Kamala ThiagarajanOn 26 April India saw the highest daily tally of new SARS-CoV-2 infections ever recorded in the world, 360 960, taking its pandemic total to 16 million cases, second only to the US, and more than 200 000 deaths.The devastating second wave comes a year after the country imposed one of the most rigid lockdown restrictions in the world-and just three months since its health ministry declared that infections and mortality were at an all time low. 1

With the second largest population and one of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturing capacities in the world, India has a central role in the covid-19 vaccination effort. But hurried approval of its own vaccine threatens to undermine domestic trust, writes Kamala Thiagarajan Kamala Thiagarajan freelance journalist

What do we know about India's Covaxin vaccine?India has rapidly approved and rolled out Covaxin, its own covid-19 vaccine. Kamala Thiagarajan examines what we know so far. Kamala Thiagarajan freelance journalist Who developed Covaxin?Covaxin was developed by Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, a government funded biomedical research institute, and its subsidiary the National Institute of Virology.Bharat Biotech has brought to market 16 original vaccines, including for rotavirus, hepatitis B, Zika virus, and chikungunya. 1 The company reportedly spent $60-$70m (£43-£50m; €50-€58m) developing Covaxin. 2

India’s private sector props up its healthcare, but the pandemic has exposed exorbitant and inconsistent billing. Kamala Thiagarajan reports on the patients and authorities picking up the tab

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